CA2099740A1 - Expired gas sampling method and expired gas collecting tube - Google Patents
Expired gas sampling method and expired gas collecting tubeInfo
- Publication number
- CA2099740A1 CA2099740A1 CA 2099740 CA2099740A CA2099740A1 CA 2099740 A1 CA2099740 A1 CA 2099740A1 CA 2099740 CA2099740 CA 2099740 CA 2099740 A CA2099740 A CA 2099740A CA 2099740 A1 CA2099740 A1 CA 2099740A1
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- Prior art keywords
- expired gas
- tube
- gas collecting
- expired
- collecting tube
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
- A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
- A61B5/08—Detecting, measuring or recording devices for evaluating the respiratory organs
- A61B5/097—Devices for facilitating collection of breath or for directing breath into or through measuring devices
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
- A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
- A61B5/08—Detecting, measuring or recording devices for evaluating the respiratory organs
- A61B5/083—Measuring rate of metabolism by using breath test, e.g. measuring rate of oxygen consumption
- A61B5/0836—Measuring rate of CO2 production
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- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Biomedical Technology (AREA)
- Heart & Thoracic Surgery (AREA)
- Pulmonology (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
- Biophysics (AREA)
- Pathology (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Public Health (AREA)
- Physiology (AREA)
- Medical Informatics (AREA)
- Molecular Biology (AREA)
- Surgery (AREA)
- Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Emergency Medicine (AREA)
- Obesity (AREA)
- Investigating Or Analysing Biological Materials (AREA)
- Sampling And Sample Adjustment (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
An expired gas collecting tube for preventing adsorp-tion or contamination of aimed gas components contained in expired gas or air in a clinical examination using patients expired gas as samples, and enabling measurement with excel-lent reproducibility.
The expired gas collecting tube comprises a heating type flexible tube which includes an elastic tube superior in heat-resistance and provided circumferentially or inside with a heating element on which a heat insulating material covers, or a heating type hard tube made of metal or thermo-setting resin and provided circumferentially or inside with a heating element on which a heat insulating material cov-ers, and the heating type flexible tube or the heating type hard tube being provided at utmost end with an adapter for mounting an expired gas collecting mask or mouthpiece.
An expired gas collecting tube for preventing adsorp-tion or contamination of aimed gas components contained in expired gas or air in a clinical examination using patients expired gas as samples, and enabling measurement with excel-lent reproducibility.
The expired gas collecting tube comprises a heating type flexible tube which includes an elastic tube superior in heat-resistance and provided circumferentially or inside with a heating element on which a heat insulating material covers, or a heating type hard tube made of metal or thermo-setting resin and provided circumferentially or inside with a heating element on which a heat insulating material cov-ers, and the heating type flexible tube or the heating type hard tube being provided at utmost end with an adapter for mounting an expired gas collecting mask or mouthpiece.
Description
- 2 ~ 9 SPECIFICATION
TITLE OF THE INVENTION
Expired gas sampling method and expired gas collecting tube BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an expired gas sampling method in association with a clinical examination device using expired gas as samples and an expired gas collecting tube for use in the sampling method.
A clinical biochemical examination device using expired gas (expired air) as samples has not been put to practical use to the best of our knowledge. This is because analyti-cal technology of blood and urine has been highly developed in the field of the clinical examination. However, collect-ing blood causes subjects or patients a physical pain with loss of their important blood, and repeated collection of blood (self-monitoring of diabetes or the like) and a con-tinuous measurement of blood (blood sugar, etc) impose a heavy burden on the subjects or patients. Also, urine, the typical samples for bloodless and non-invasive clinical examinations, provides less information than blood does.
The examinations with urine cause the subjects or patients a mental pain as from a feeling of shame and do not enable a 2Q~r?~
continuous measurement, and urine is hard to be collected at all times. Further, in the clinical examinations with blood or urine, easily vaporized components such as ammonia, acetone or the li~e cannot be accurately measured.
Under the circumstance, other clinical analyzing tech-niques in bloodless and noninvasive type than the urine analyzing technique, for example, those using as samples such body fluid other than blood as exudate from skin (lymph), sweat, saliva or the like, or percutaneously meas-uring blood gas with a blood gas sensor, have been hitherto studied. But, these techniques have not been broadly put into practical use due to the facts that merely less amount of samples are obtainable and measurable items are limited.
Hence, the inventors started developing a novel clini-cal examination technology with giving special notice to expired gas which is available in a bloodless and noninva-sive manner. Expired gas is intermittently breathed out by human (or animals) during their lives are maintained, and it is readily collectable, without causing subjects a physical or mental pain. Also, since trace amounts of volatile component of mixed venous blood flowing through alveolar blood capillary is moved into expired air by gas e~change, it is inferred that expired air and blood have correlation with respect to the volatile component. Furthermore, e~ami-nations wi.th expired gas enables differential measurement of 2~ ~f~
the ~-olatile component which measurement the blood analysis could not cover. Thus, expired gas (expired air) is an ideal sample for the clinical biochemical examination.
Since gases of the expired air to be detected (those having importance in clinical examinations) are quite low in concentration (ppb or ppm at the most), they could be meas-urable only by a combination of a concentrating device of the trace amounts of gas component and a large-scaled high-sensitivity gas detecting device and skilled operators.
There are few clinical reports in this kind of basic analy-sis of expired gas by use of the above device. Such clini-cal reports the present inventor knows are (1) Dubowski, K,M, Breath Analysis as a Technique in Clinical Chemistry, Clin .Chem., 20.966-972, 1974, (2) Manolis,A., The Diagnos-tic Potential of Breath Analysis, Clin.Chem., 29. 5-15, 1983, and (3) Phillips, M., Breath Tests in Medician, Scien-tific American July.1992. However, the techniques reported in those reports cannot be made use of for such as a bedside examination, a pre-hospital examination in an ambulance, screening upon medical examination or the 1ike. Further-more, expired gas when collected in vessels occupies much spaces for preservation and transportation and some gas components subject to examination are unstable, so that they are not well subjected to the analyzing course as of blood, i.e., to be first transported to the analysis center and 2 ~ 9 9 7 Ll O
analyzed by large-scaled analytical apparatuses. Hence, conditions for a practical clinical biochemical examination device are to be small-sized and portable, having high sensitivity and high accuracy and readily operable.
The inventors zealously studied under the foregoing circumstances and succeeded in development of a portable type examination device which can measure aimed gas compo-nents of expired gas with high sensitivity and high accuracy according to some measuring principles. Expired gas when breathed out disperses instantly into atmosphere. To feed the expired gas samples to the measuring part in the exami-nation device with the expired gas being in the state not mixing with ambient air, we adopted an expired air collect-ing tube provided with an expired gas collecting mask or mouthpiece. We continuously tested the examination device found problems of scattering results of measuring data and a poor reproducibility or the like.
To investigate causes of the problems, we prepared an aqueous solution of a sample gas such as ammonia and placed the solution in a vessel. The expired gas collecting tube was used to suck in the gas gathered in the head space of the vessel and continuously measure the gas in batching manner. I~easured values gradually lowered and became stable at a value lowered than an initial value after a plural times of measurement. Then, we removed the collecting tube 2~99~
from the vessel and made the measurement and found that the gas was detected in each measurement although measured values were rather lower than the initial value and gradual-ly lowered. Thereafter, when the collecting tube was re-moved from the measuring device, measured value became zero instantly. In principle, the measured value should become zero at the time when the collecting tube is removed form the vessel with the exception of time lag that the gas remaining in the tube vanishes (and guessing that no meas-urable gases exist in atmosphere). That phenomenon is inferred to be from that moisture vapor adhered on an inner wall of the collecting tube to form a layer of moisture on the inner wall and the sample gas dissolved in the moisture layer. From the above, it has been revealed that Expired gas contains a considerable amount of moisture vapor, and gas components of expired air to be detected are in quite trace amounts and fully hydrophilic because they are in vivo substances, so that measurement of expired gas is largely influenced when a quite little amount of moisture adheres to the transmitting system of expired gas. The conventional expired gas collecting tube does not avoid influences by contamination as above and not guarantee reproducibility.
S~IM.~RY OF THE I~VE~TION
.~n object of the invention is to provide an e~pired gas '~Q(~J7~1 sampling method in association with a clinical examination device using expired gas as samples and an expired gas collecting tube for use in the sampling method. Also, an object of the invention is to provide a heating type of expired gas sampling method and expired gas collecting tube for preventing adhesion of moisture contained in expired gas on inner wall of the tube. Further, an object of the inven-tion is to provide an expired gas collecting tube provided with a mounting part for mounting an expired gas collecting mask or mouthpiece.
BRIEF DESGRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 shows an example of an expired gas collecting tube according to the present invention, Fig. 1 (a) being a partially sectional side view and Fig. l(b) a sectional view taken in the line X-X in Fig.l(a).
Fig. 2 is a sehematic diagram showing the expired gas collecting tube connected to a main body of an examination device.
Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a modified exam-ple of the expired gas collecting tube connected to a main bodv of an examination device.
Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a further modi-fied example of the expired gas collecting tube connected to a main bod of an examination device.
2~97~t3 Fig. 5 is a partially sectional side view showing a modified example of the expired gas collecting tube.
Fig. 6 is a partially sectional side view showing a further modified example of the expired gas collecting tube.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The inventors have zealously studied under the forego-ing circumstances an expired gas sampling device free of influence by moisture contained in expired gas and achieved the present invention. The invention relates to an expired gas collecting tube which extends outside an clinical bio-chemical examination device. The whole transmitting system of expired gas extending to a detecting part for gas sample inside the examination device is to be similarly constructed to that of the collecting tube.
The expired gas collecting tube is assembled in a clinical examination device using expired gas as samples and feeds or transmits expired gas breathed out by subjects to the detecting part or stages prior thereto in the examina-tion device. The expired gas collecting tube may comprise a heating type flexible tube or hard pipe in a suitable length, for example, of O.1 to 2m and an expired gas col-lecting mask or mouthpiece mounted to the utmost end of the collecting tube. The collecting tube employing the flexible tube is more readily usable and general, but the hard pipe 2~99740 may be applicable depending on specific kinds and configura-tion of the examination device. The hard pipe when adapted to be shorter in length is readily usable and may include therein a rotary joint or the like in the heating type similarly to the collecting tube.
The heating type flexible tube may comprise an elastic tube provided with a heating element on the outer or inner peripheral part or inside the tube and a heat insulating material covering the outer side of the elastic tube. Mate-rials for the elastic tube are rubber or stable resin supe-rior in heat-resistance and not emitting gases upon heating such as Teflon resin or silicone resin. Teflon is more preferable for the purpose. The elastic tube is 1 to 5mm in inner diameter and 1 to 3mm in thickness and may become thicker when integrally incorporating therein the heating element. The heating element may be in the form of line or face as ~nown, and the heat insulating material may use resin, fiber or rubber as known, superlor in heat-resist-ance. For providing controllability, the flexible tube itself is preferably highly flexible as possible and also preferably thinner, for e~ample, about 5 to 20mm in diame-ter. To prevent clogging from deformation of the elastic tube when the flexible tube is folded, the elastic tube is to be reinforced circumferentiallv. Also, in stead of use of the heating element, an elastic tube having heating effi-2~ ~ ~7A~
ciency obtained by molding any material similar to the abovehaving heating efficiency by itself such as Teflon mixed with finely divided particles of metal may be covered on the outer peripheral part with a heat insulating material.
This type of expired gas collecting tube comprises a heating type flexible tube 0.5 to 2m in length provided at the utmost end with a mounting part for mounting the expired gas collecting mask or mouthpiece. The mounting part serves also as a grip of the expired gas collecting tube. Also, the e~pired gas collecting mask and mouthpiece may be dis-posable type for sanitary purpose. I.n this case, the mask or mouthpiece is to be freely detachable from the mounting part. The expired gas collecting tube is so heated by electrical control from the outside that the inner wall surface of the elastic tube is increased of temperature to the same as of human body or higher, for example, to 36 to 100C, preferably to 40 to 50C.
In case of the heating type hard pipe, ~ heating ele-ment is disposed circumferentially of a pipe made of metal or thermosetting resin or integrally incorporated inside the pipe, and the pipe is circumferentially covered with a heat insulating material. The heating element may be in the form of line or face as ~nown, and the heat insulating material may use resin, fiber or rubber as ~nown, superior in heat-resistance. Total diameter of the hard pipe is 5 to 20997-~0 20mm. Also, in stead of use of the heating element, an hard pipe having heating efficiency obtained by molding any mate-rial similar to the above having heating efficiency by itself such as phenol resin mixed with carbon or finely divided particles of metal may be covered on the outer peripheral part with a heat insulating material.
This type of expired gas collecting tube comprises a heating type hard pipe 10 to several dozens cm in length provided at the utmost end with a mounting part for mounting the expired gas collecting mask or mouthpiece. Also, the expired gas collecting mask and mouthpiece may be disposable type for sanitary purpose or alternatively be fixed to the utmost end of the collecting tube, for example, in a clini-cal examination device in type of patients' self-monitoring.
Since the hard pipe type collecting tube cannot be folded, it may be provided with a rotary joint for changing direc-tions of the collecting tube. Also, similarly to the flexi-ble tube, the expired gas collecting tube of hard pipe type is so heated by electrical control from the outside that the inner wall surface of the hard pipe is increased of tempera-ture to the same as of human body or higher, for example, to 36 to lOO'C, preferably to 40 to ~0 C.
Expired gas may be fed to the eYamination device by patients blowing through the tube (using mainly the mouth-piece) or automatically ta~en in into the e~amination device 20~9't4~
side through suction by pump (the case using the expired gas collecting mask). Generally, the latter feature is adopted.
In this case, it is sufficient for the feature that patients slowly breathe out to the expired gas collecting mask.
Expired gas when contacts with the mask is possibly adsorbed of components or contaminated. Hence, such feature may be required that the mounting part (adapter) for the collecting mask or the mask itself is provided with a bypass or air vent through which expired gas possibly contacted with the collecting mask is discharged to the outside of the system.
The expired gas collecting tube as foregoing is provid-ed for directing expired gas directly to the clinical exami-nation device. The expired gas collecting tube according to the present invention may be applicable also to collect expired gas in an expired gas collecting means. This type of expired gas collecting means may comprise a heating type tube or hard pipe of several dozens cm at the most in length provided at one end with a mounting part for mounting an expired air collecting mask or mouthpiece and at the other end or near the end with an inserting part for the expired gas collecting means. In this case, a bag having an aper-ture may be provided at that other end near which the col-lecting means inserting part is formed, so that discharge of e~pired gas upon patients' breathing out is checked by watch-ing swelling o~ the bag to collect the expired gas. Expired ~Q~s~.~a gas collected in the expired gas collecting means may be immediately applied to the clinical examination device for analysis. The expired gas collecting means may use a large-sized injector, a gas bag, a syringe or the like.
These members are also to have the construction that the inside can be heated to prevent aggregation of moisture.
Alternatively, a handy type examination device, such as a gas detector tube or a gas sensor may be connected directly to the inserting part for the expired gas collecting means.
Construction of the detector in the clinical examina-tion device to which the expired gas collecting tube is assembled is classified as follows depending on the kinds of detector. (1) The detector itself has function to specifi-cally detect aimed gas components. Controlled potential electrolytic gas detector, IMS (Ion mobility spectrometer) or ECD (Electron capture detector), (2) a combination of a detector detecting a wide range of gas components with high sensitivity as PID (Photo ionization detector) (IMS and ECD
are applicable to thls method) and a separation column, and (3) a combination of a color test paper (tape, strips) coloring through specific chemical reaction with aimed gas components in expired gas and a reflected light photcmeter, and a combination of color former (gel disc) and transmitted light photometer (The method is not the type using a single detector). Depending on the kinds of detectors, there may 20997~0 be ~-arious feeding methods for expired gas to a sample meas-uring mechanism determining an expired gas sample from taken expired gas and to the detector. The clinical examination device to analyze expired gas collected in the expired gas ~,~ collecting means may have the similar construction to the ..
above.
EMBODIMENTS
Next, the invention will be detailed with referring to the examples shown in the attached drawings. Fig. 1 shows an example of an expired gas collecting tube using a heating flexible tube type. Fig. l(a) is a partially sectional side view and Fig. l(b) a sectional view taken in the line X-X in Fig. l(a). The expired gas collecting tube 1 comprises an elastic tube 2 made of Teflon, lmm0 in inner diameter, 3mm0 in outer diameter and lm in length, serving as a passage for expired gas. The collecting tube 1 is wound on the outer periphery with a heating line 3, covered thereon with a heat , .
~ insulating material 4 of 2.5mm in thickness and further ,j:
covered thereon with a plastic film cover 5 (80~m in thick-ness). The heating line 3 is connected with a code 6 to power source. A plurality of temperature sensors 7 are mounted on the outer surface of the elastic tube 2 to con-trol temperatures of the inner surface of the elastic tube 2~997~1~
An adapter 8 serving also as a grip is fixed at the utmost end of the collecting tube 1 and can mount an expired gas collecting mask 9 in disposable type. 10 is a position-ing stopper for the mask, 11 a bypass for discharging unnec-essary expired gas to the outside of the system and 12 the grip. Rear end of the expired gas collecting tube 1 is connectable to a main body 13 of an examination device and supports an anti-folding cover 1~ for the elastic tube 2.
Fig. 2 shows an example of a method for connecting the expired gas collecting tube 1 to the examination device body 13. The analytical device 13A comprises a separation column 15 and a PID detector 16 and takes in expired gas B by suction pump 17 to collect an expired gas sample S in a sample measuring chamber 20 between two solenoid valves 18 and 19. The expired gas sample S is fed to the separation column 15 by a carrier gas C supplied from a cylinder 21 to be detected by the detector 16. The sample measuring cham-ber 20 may be kept at predetermined temperature.
The examination device body 13B shown in Fig. 3 uses IMS22 as the detector and takes in expired gas B by a suc-tion pump 23 while measuring the expired gas sample to carry out detection in due course. An examination device body 13C
has such a different feature from the above that a color test paper 24 is sandwiched at both sides with the expired gas collecting tube 1 and a suction line 25, expired air B
2~9~7~0 is measured by a suction pump 26 while being taken in, so that a reflectometer measures coloring provided by aimed gas components in the expired gas samples.
Fig. 5 shows a modified example of the expired gas collecting tube. The collecting tube 28 is a heating hard pipe type comprising a phenol resin pipe 29 serving as a passage for expired gas and provided circumferentially with a heating element 30 having faces on which element a heat insulating material 31 covers. 32 is a rotary joint.
Expired gas is adapted to be blown through a mouthpiece 33 fiYed at the utmost end of the collecting tube 28.
Fig. 6 shows a further modified example of the expired gas collecting tube. The collecting tube 34 comprises an elastic tube 2, 5mm0 in inner diameter, 8mm0 in outer diame-ter and 30cm in length, wound circumferentially with a heating line 3, covered thereon with a heat insulating material 4 of 2.5mm in thickness and further covered thereon with a plastic film cover 5 (80~m in thickness). The ex-pired gas collecting tube 34 can mount at one end an expired gas collecting mask 9 and has at the other end a bag 35 made of thin plastic and having an aperture 36 at the end so that the bag is swollen by patients' breathing out while a part of eYpired gas leaks through the aperture 36 to allow the breathing-out by patients to be continued, wherebv patients blowing-out eYpired gas can be checked b- watching swelling 1 ~
2 ~ 7 ~ ~
of the bag. 3~ is an inserting part for an expired gas collecting means 38.
When the expired gas collecting means 38 is a gas bag or a large-sized injector, expired gas can be fed from an expired gas collecting mask 9 (e.g., Fig. 2) to the clinical examination device. In case that the expired gas collecting means 38 is a syringe (which can quantitatively determine or measure the samples), expired gas sample may be fed through an expired gas sample injecting port 39 as shown, for exam-ple, in Fig. 2. Also, the inserting part 37 for the expired gas collecting means may be connected directly with the handy type examination device, such as, a gas detector tube or a gas sensor to carry out expired gas analysis.
EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION
As clearly seen from the above, the method according to the present invention heats the inner wall part of the expired gas collecting tube to any temperatures equal to or higher than human body temperature when expired gas is fed to a clinical examination device or an expired gas collect-ing means by use of the collecting tube. Also, the expired gas collecting tube according to the presenk invention is that for use in sampling to be carried out with a clinical examination device using expired gas as samples and com-prises an elastic tube or a thermosetting resin pipe or the 2 ~ o like circumferentially provided with a heating element and further covered thereon with a heat insulating material.
Hence, upon sampling expired gas, moisture vapor does not adhere on the inner wall of the expired gas collecting tube, so that even when a plurality of patients successively carry out measurement with the same collecting tube, there causes no contamination and an excellent reproducibility can be obtained, thereby enabling the invention to largely contribute to improvement of reliability of analysis with expired gas.
TITLE OF THE INVENTION
Expired gas sampling method and expired gas collecting tube BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an expired gas sampling method in association with a clinical examination device using expired gas as samples and an expired gas collecting tube for use in the sampling method.
A clinical biochemical examination device using expired gas (expired air) as samples has not been put to practical use to the best of our knowledge. This is because analyti-cal technology of blood and urine has been highly developed in the field of the clinical examination. However, collect-ing blood causes subjects or patients a physical pain with loss of their important blood, and repeated collection of blood (self-monitoring of diabetes or the like) and a con-tinuous measurement of blood (blood sugar, etc) impose a heavy burden on the subjects or patients. Also, urine, the typical samples for bloodless and non-invasive clinical examinations, provides less information than blood does.
The examinations with urine cause the subjects or patients a mental pain as from a feeling of shame and do not enable a 2Q~r?~
continuous measurement, and urine is hard to be collected at all times. Further, in the clinical examinations with blood or urine, easily vaporized components such as ammonia, acetone or the li~e cannot be accurately measured.
Under the circumstance, other clinical analyzing tech-niques in bloodless and noninvasive type than the urine analyzing technique, for example, those using as samples such body fluid other than blood as exudate from skin (lymph), sweat, saliva or the like, or percutaneously meas-uring blood gas with a blood gas sensor, have been hitherto studied. But, these techniques have not been broadly put into practical use due to the facts that merely less amount of samples are obtainable and measurable items are limited.
Hence, the inventors started developing a novel clini-cal examination technology with giving special notice to expired gas which is available in a bloodless and noninva-sive manner. Expired gas is intermittently breathed out by human (or animals) during their lives are maintained, and it is readily collectable, without causing subjects a physical or mental pain. Also, since trace amounts of volatile component of mixed venous blood flowing through alveolar blood capillary is moved into expired air by gas e~change, it is inferred that expired air and blood have correlation with respect to the volatile component. Furthermore, e~ami-nations wi.th expired gas enables differential measurement of 2~ ~f~
the ~-olatile component which measurement the blood analysis could not cover. Thus, expired gas (expired air) is an ideal sample for the clinical biochemical examination.
Since gases of the expired air to be detected (those having importance in clinical examinations) are quite low in concentration (ppb or ppm at the most), they could be meas-urable only by a combination of a concentrating device of the trace amounts of gas component and a large-scaled high-sensitivity gas detecting device and skilled operators.
There are few clinical reports in this kind of basic analy-sis of expired gas by use of the above device. Such clini-cal reports the present inventor knows are (1) Dubowski, K,M, Breath Analysis as a Technique in Clinical Chemistry, Clin .Chem., 20.966-972, 1974, (2) Manolis,A., The Diagnos-tic Potential of Breath Analysis, Clin.Chem., 29. 5-15, 1983, and (3) Phillips, M., Breath Tests in Medician, Scien-tific American July.1992. However, the techniques reported in those reports cannot be made use of for such as a bedside examination, a pre-hospital examination in an ambulance, screening upon medical examination or the 1ike. Further-more, expired gas when collected in vessels occupies much spaces for preservation and transportation and some gas components subject to examination are unstable, so that they are not well subjected to the analyzing course as of blood, i.e., to be first transported to the analysis center and 2 ~ 9 9 7 Ll O
analyzed by large-scaled analytical apparatuses. Hence, conditions for a practical clinical biochemical examination device are to be small-sized and portable, having high sensitivity and high accuracy and readily operable.
The inventors zealously studied under the foregoing circumstances and succeeded in development of a portable type examination device which can measure aimed gas compo-nents of expired gas with high sensitivity and high accuracy according to some measuring principles. Expired gas when breathed out disperses instantly into atmosphere. To feed the expired gas samples to the measuring part in the exami-nation device with the expired gas being in the state not mixing with ambient air, we adopted an expired air collect-ing tube provided with an expired gas collecting mask or mouthpiece. We continuously tested the examination device found problems of scattering results of measuring data and a poor reproducibility or the like.
To investigate causes of the problems, we prepared an aqueous solution of a sample gas such as ammonia and placed the solution in a vessel. The expired gas collecting tube was used to suck in the gas gathered in the head space of the vessel and continuously measure the gas in batching manner. I~easured values gradually lowered and became stable at a value lowered than an initial value after a plural times of measurement. Then, we removed the collecting tube 2~99~
from the vessel and made the measurement and found that the gas was detected in each measurement although measured values were rather lower than the initial value and gradual-ly lowered. Thereafter, when the collecting tube was re-moved from the measuring device, measured value became zero instantly. In principle, the measured value should become zero at the time when the collecting tube is removed form the vessel with the exception of time lag that the gas remaining in the tube vanishes (and guessing that no meas-urable gases exist in atmosphere). That phenomenon is inferred to be from that moisture vapor adhered on an inner wall of the collecting tube to form a layer of moisture on the inner wall and the sample gas dissolved in the moisture layer. From the above, it has been revealed that Expired gas contains a considerable amount of moisture vapor, and gas components of expired air to be detected are in quite trace amounts and fully hydrophilic because they are in vivo substances, so that measurement of expired gas is largely influenced when a quite little amount of moisture adheres to the transmitting system of expired gas. The conventional expired gas collecting tube does not avoid influences by contamination as above and not guarantee reproducibility.
S~IM.~RY OF THE I~VE~TION
.~n object of the invention is to provide an e~pired gas '~Q(~J7~1 sampling method in association with a clinical examination device using expired gas as samples and an expired gas collecting tube for use in the sampling method. Also, an object of the invention is to provide a heating type of expired gas sampling method and expired gas collecting tube for preventing adhesion of moisture contained in expired gas on inner wall of the tube. Further, an object of the inven-tion is to provide an expired gas collecting tube provided with a mounting part for mounting an expired gas collecting mask or mouthpiece.
BRIEF DESGRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 shows an example of an expired gas collecting tube according to the present invention, Fig. 1 (a) being a partially sectional side view and Fig. l(b) a sectional view taken in the line X-X in Fig.l(a).
Fig. 2 is a sehematic diagram showing the expired gas collecting tube connected to a main body of an examination device.
Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a modified exam-ple of the expired gas collecting tube connected to a main bodv of an examination device.
Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a further modi-fied example of the expired gas collecting tube connected to a main bod of an examination device.
2~97~t3 Fig. 5 is a partially sectional side view showing a modified example of the expired gas collecting tube.
Fig. 6 is a partially sectional side view showing a further modified example of the expired gas collecting tube.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The inventors have zealously studied under the forego-ing circumstances an expired gas sampling device free of influence by moisture contained in expired gas and achieved the present invention. The invention relates to an expired gas collecting tube which extends outside an clinical bio-chemical examination device. The whole transmitting system of expired gas extending to a detecting part for gas sample inside the examination device is to be similarly constructed to that of the collecting tube.
The expired gas collecting tube is assembled in a clinical examination device using expired gas as samples and feeds or transmits expired gas breathed out by subjects to the detecting part or stages prior thereto in the examina-tion device. The expired gas collecting tube may comprise a heating type flexible tube or hard pipe in a suitable length, for example, of O.1 to 2m and an expired gas col-lecting mask or mouthpiece mounted to the utmost end of the collecting tube. The collecting tube employing the flexible tube is more readily usable and general, but the hard pipe 2~99740 may be applicable depending on specific kinds and configura-tion of the examination device. The hard pipe when adapted to be shorter in length is readily usable and may include therein a rotary joint or the like in the heating type similarly to the collecting tube.
The heating type flexible tube may comprise an elastic tube provided with a heating element on the outer or inner peripheral part or inside the tube and a heat insulating material covering the outer side of the elastic tube. Mate-rials for the elastic tube are rubber or stable resin supe-rior in heat-resistance and not emitting gases upon heating such as Teflon resin or silicone resin. Teflon is more preferable for the purpose. The elastic tube is 1 to 5mm in inner diameter and 1 to 3mm in thickness and may become thicker when integrally incorporating therein the heating element. The heating element may be in the form of line or face as ~nown, and the heat insulating material may use resin, fiber or rubber as known, superlor in heat-resist-ance. For providing controllability, the flexible tube itself is preferably highly flexible as possible and also preferably thinner, for e~ample, about 5 to 20mm in diame-ter. To prevent clogging from deformation of the elastic tube when the flexible tube is folded, the elastic tube is to be reinforced circumferentiallv. Also, in stead of use of the heating element, an elastic tube having heating effi-2~ ~ ~7A~
ciency obtained by molding any material similar to the abovehaving heating efficiency by itself such as Teflon mixed with finely divided particles of metal may be covered on the outer peripheral part with a heat insulating material.
This type of expired gas collecting tube comprises a heating type flexible tube 0.5 to 2m in length provided at the utmost end with a mounting part for mounting the expired gas collecting mask or mouthpiece. The mounting part serves also as a grip of the expired gas collecting tube. Also, the e~pired gas collecting mask and mouthpiece may be dis-posable type for sanitary purpose. I.n this case, the mask or mouthpiece is to be freely detachable from the mounting part. The expired gas collecting tube is so heated by electrical control from the outside that the inner wall surface of the elastic tube is increased of temperature to the same as of human body or higher, for example, to 36 to 100C, preferably to 40 to 50C.
In case of the heating type hard pipe, ~ heating ele-ment is disposed circumferentially of a pipe made of metal or thermosetting resin or integrally incorporated inside the pipe, and the pipe is circumferentially covered with a heat insulating material. The heating element may be in the form of line or face as ~nown, and the heat insulating material may use resin, fiber or rubber as ~nown, superior in heat-resistance. Total diameter of the hard pipe is 5 to 20997-~0 20mm. Also, in stead of use of the heating element, an hard pipe having heating efficiency obtained by molding any mate-rial similar to the above having heating efficiency by itself such as phenol resin mixed with carbon or finely divided particles of metal may be covered on the outer peripheral part with a heat insulating material.
This type of expired gas collecting tube comprises a heating type hard pipe 10 to several dozens cm in length provided at the utmost end with a mounting part for mounting the expired gas collecting mask or mouthpiece. Also, the expired gas collecting mask and mouthpiece may be disposable type for sanitary purpose or alternatively be fixed to the utmost end of the collecting tube, for example, in a clini-cal examination device in type of patients' self-monitoring.
Since the hard pipe type collecting tube cannot be folded, it may be provided with a rotary joint for changing direc-tions of the collecting tube. Also, similarly to the flexi-ble tube, the expired gas collecting tube of hard pipe type is so heated by electrical control from the outside that the inner wall surface of the hard pipe is increased of tempera-ture to the same as of human body or higher, for example, to 36 to lOO'C, preferably to 40 to ~0 C.
Expired gas may be fed to the eYamination device by patients blowing through the tube (using mainly the mouth-piece) or automatically ta~en in into the e~amination device 20~9't4~
side through suction by pump (the case using the expired gas collecting mask). Generally, the latter feature is adopted.
In this case, it is sufficient for the feature that patients slowly breathe out to the expired gas collecting mask.
Expired gas when contacts with the mask is possibly adsorbed of components or contaminated. Hence, such feature may be required that the mounting part (adapter) for the collecting mask or the mask itself is provided with a bypass or air vent through which expired gas possibly contacted with the collecting mask is discharged to the outside of the system.
The expired gas collecting tube as foregoing is provid-ed for directing expired gas directly to the clinical exami-nation device. The expired gas collecting tube according to the present invention may be applicable also to collect expired gas in an expired gas collecting means. This type of expired gas collecting means may comprise a heating type tube or hard pipe of several dozens cm at the most in length provided at one end with a mounting part for mounting an expired air collecting mask or mouthpiece and at the other end or near the end with an inserting part for the expired gas collecting means. In this case, a bag having an aper-ture may be provided at that other end near which the col-lecting means inserting part is formed, so that discharge of e~pired gas upon patients' breathing out is checked by watch-ing swelling o~ the bag to collect the expired gas. Expired ~Q~s~.~a gas collected in the expired gas collecting means may be immediately applied to the clinical examination device for analysis. The expired gas collecting means may use a large-sized injector, a gas bag, a syringe or the like.
These members are also to have the construction that the inside can be heated to prevent aggregation of moisture.
Alternatively, a handy type examination device, such as a gas detector tube or a gas sensor may be connected directly to the inserting part for the expired gas collecting means.
Construction of the detector in the clinical examina-tion device to which the expired gas collecting tube is assembled is classified as follows depending on the kinds of detector. (1) The detector itself has function to specifi-cally detect aimed gas components. Controlled potential electrolytic gas detector, IMS (Ion mobility spectrometer) or ECD (Electron capture detector), (2) a combination of a detector detecting a wide range of gas components with high sensitivity as PID (Photo ionization detector) (IMS and ECD
are applicable to thls method) and a separation column, and (3) a combination of a color test paper (tape, strips) coloring through specific chemical reaction with aimed gas components in expired gas and a reflected light photcmeter, and a combination of color former (gel disc) and transmitted light photometer (The method is not the type using a single detector). Depending on the kinds of detectors, there may 20997~0 be ~-arious feeding methods for expired gas to a sample meas-uring mechanism determining an expired gas sample from taken expired gas and to the detector. The clinical examination device to analyze expired gas collected in the expired gas ~,~ collecting means may have the similar construction to the ..
above.
EMBODIMENTS
Next, the invention will be detailed with referring to the examples shown in the attached drawings. Fig. 1 shows an example of an expired gas collecting tube using a heating flexible tube type. Fig. l(a) is a partially sectional side view and Fig. l(b) a sectional view taken in the line X-X in Fig. l(a). The expired gas collecting tube 1 comprises an elastic tube 2 made of Teflon, lmm0 in inner diameter, 3mm0 in outer diameter and lm in length, serving as a passage for expired gas. The collecting tube 1 is wound on the outer periphery with a heating line 3, covered thereon with a heat , .
~ insulating material 4 of 2.5mm in thickness and further ,j:
covered thereon with a plastic film cover 5 (80~m in thick-ness). The heating line 3 is connected with a code 6 to power source. A plurality of temperature sensors 7 are mounted on the outer surface of the elastic tube 2 to con-trol temperatures of the inner surface of the elastic tube 2~997~1~
An adapter 8 serving also as a grip is fixed at the utmost end of the collecting tube 1 and can mount an expired gas collecting mask 9 in disposable type. 10 is a position-ing stopper for the mask, 11 a bypass for discharging unnec-essary expired gas to the outside of the system and 12 the grip. Rear end of the expired gas collecting tube 1 is connectable to a main body 13 of an examination device and supports an anti-folding cover 1~ for the elastic tube 2.
Fig. 2 shows an example of a method for connecting the expired gas collecting tube 1 to the examination device body 13. The analytical device 13A comprises a separation column 15 and a PID detector 16 and takes in expired gas B by suction pump 17 to collect an expired gas sample S in a sample measuring chamber 20 between two solenoid valves 18 and 19. The expired gas sample S is fed to the separation column 15 by a carrier gas C supplied from a cylinder 21 to be detected by the detector 16. The sample measuring cham-ber 20 may be kept at predetermined temperature.
The examination device body 13B shown in Fig. 3 uses IMS22 as the detector and takes in expired gas B by a suc-tion pump 23 while measuring the expired gas sample to carry out detection in due course. An examination device body 13C
has such a different feature from the above that a color test paper 24 is sandwiched at both sides with the expired gas collecting tube 1 and a suction line 25, expired air B
2~9~7~0 is measured by a suction pump 26 while being taken in, so that a reflectometer measures coloring provided by aimed gas components in the expired gas samples.
Fig. 5 shows a modified example of the expired gas collecting tube. The collecting tube 28 is a heating hard pipe type comprising a phenol resin pipe 29 serving as a passage for expired gas and provided circumferentially with a heating element 30 having faces on which element a heat insulating material 31 covers. 32 is a rotary joint.
Expired gas is adapted to be blown through a mouthpiece 33 fiYed at the utmost end of the collecting tube 28.
Fig. 6 shows a further modified example of the expired gas collecting tube. The collecting tube 34 comprises an elastic tube 2, 5mm0 in inner diameter, 8mm0 in outer diame-ter and 30cm in length, wound circumferentially with a heating line 3, covered thereon with a heat insulating material 4 of 2.5mm in thickness and further covered thereon with a plastic film cover 5 (80~m in thickness). The ex-pired gas collecting tube 34 can mount at one end an expired gas collecting mask 9 and has at the other end a bag 35 made of thin plastic and having an aperture 36 at the end so that the bag is swollen by patients' breathing out while a part of eYpired gas leaks through the aperture 36 to allow the breathing-out by patients to be continued, wherebv patients blowing-out eYpired gas can be checked b- watching swelling 1 ~
2 ~ 7 ~ ~
of the bag. 3~ is an inserting part for an expired gas collecting means 38.
When the expired gas collecting means 38 is a gas bag or a large-sized injector, expired gas can be fed from an expired gas collecting mask 9 (e.g., Fig. 2) to the clinical examination device. In case that the expired gas collecting means 38 is a syringe (which can quantitatively determine or measure the samples), expired gas sample may be fed through an expired gas sample injecting port 39 as shown, for exam-ple, in Fig. 2. Also, the inserting part 37 for the expired gas collecting means may be connected directly with the handy type examination device, such as, a gas detector tube or a gas sensor to carry out expired gas analysis.
EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION
As clearly seen from the above, the method according to the present invention heats the inner wall part of the expired gas collecting tube to any temperatures equal to or higher than human body temperature when expired gas is fed to a clinical examination device or an expired gas collect-ing means by use of the collecting tube. Also, the expired gas collecting tube according to the presenk invention is that for use in sampling to be carried out with a clinical examination device using expired gas as samples and com-prises an elastic tube or a thermosetting resin pipe or the 2 ~ o like circumferentially provided with a heating element and further covered thereon with a heat insulating material.
Hence, upon sampling expired gas, moisture vapor does not adhere on the inner wall of the expired gas collecting tube, so that even when a plurality of patients successively carry out measurement with the same collecting tube, there causes no contamination and an excellent reproducibility can be obtained, thereby enabling the invention to largely contribute to improvement of reliability of analysis with expired gas.
Claims (5)
1. An expired air sampling method wherein when expired gas is fed to a clinical examination device or an expired gas collecting means by use of an expired gas collecting tube, an inner wall part of the collecting tube is heated at temperature equal to or higher than that of human body.
2. An expired gas collecting tube in association with a clinical examination device which device causes an expired gas sample to flow through a detector and arithmetically processes outputs from the detector based on gas components to be detected for providing clinical examination data, the expired gas collecting tube comprising a heating type flexi-ble tube which includes an elastic tube provided-on outer or inner peripheral part or inside with an heating element or an elastic tube made of a material having itself heating efficiency, the elastic tube being covered circumferentially with a heat insulating material, and the heating type flexi-ble tube being provided at the utmost end with a mounting part for mounting an expired gas collecting mask or mouth-piece.
3. An expired gas collecting tube in association with a clinical examination device which device causes an expired gas sample to flow through a detector and arithmetically processes outputs from the detector based on gas components to be detected for providing clinical examination data, the expired gas collecting tube comprising a heating type hard tube which includes a pipe provided on outer or inner pe-ripheral part or inside with an heating element or a pipe made of a material having itself heating efficiency, the pipe being covered circumferentially with a heat insulating material, and the heating type hard tube being provided at the utmost end with a mounting part for mounting an expired gas collecting mask or mouthpiece.
4. An expired gas collecting tube for guiding expired gas to an expired gas collecting means or a handy type examina-tion device, the expired gas collecting tube comprising a heating type flexible tube which includes an elastic tube provided on outer or inner peripheral part or inside with an heating element or an elastic tube made of a material having itself heating efficiency, the elastic tube being covered circumferentially with a heat insulating material, and the heating type flexible tube being provided at one end with a mounting part for mounting an expired gas collecting mask or mouthpiece and at the other end or near the end with an inserting part for the expired gas collecting means.
5. An expired gas collecting tube for guiding expired gas to an expired gas collecting means or a handy type examina-tion device, the expired gas collecting tube comprising a heating type hard tube which includes a pipe provided on outer or inner peripheral part or inside with an heating element or a pipe made of a material having itself heating efficiency, the pipe being covered circumferentially with a heat insulating material, and the heating type hard tube being provided at one end with a mounting part for mounting an expired gas collecting mask or mouthpiece and at the other end or near the end with an inserting part for the expired gas collecting means.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP4-197698 | 1992-06-30 | ||
| JP19769892 | 1992-06-30 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2099740A1 true CA2099740A1 (en) | 1993-12-31 |
Family
ID=16378873
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2099740 Abandoned CA2099740A1 (en) | 1992-06-30 | 1993-06-29 | Expired gas sampling method and expired gas collecting tube |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0577053A1 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2099740A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US10016149B2 (en) | 2012-04-24 | 2018-07-10 | Phc Corporation | Handle device and breath analysis device |
Families Citing this family (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5465728A (en) * | 1994-01-11 | 1995-11-14 | Phillips; Michael | Breath collection |
| CA2677592A1 (en) * | 2007-02-16 | 2008-08-21 | Universiteit Maastricht | Apparatus for and method of condensing exhaled breath |
| GB0712363D0 (en) * | 2007-06-26 | 2007-08-01 | Smiths Group Plc | Detectors |
| GB2532480B (en) * | 2014-11-20 | 2019-06-05 | Veoneer Sweden Ab | A breath analyser device |
| CN105388278B (en) * | 2015-12-04 | 2017-12-19 | 无锡市尚沃医疗电子股份有限公司 | A kind of hand-held respiration filtering device |
| CN111537722B (en) * | 2020-05-07 | 2023-08-01 | 北京国科融智生物技术有限公司 | Respiratory tract virus sample collection and detection integrated device |
| CN116211282B (en) * | 2023-02-24 | 2024-01-02 | 南京诺源医疗器械有限公司 | Medical sampler |
Family Cites Families (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2017905A (en) * | 1978-02-23 | 1979-10-10 | Tatnall M | Apparatus for use in the monitoring of expired anaesthetic concentrations |
| AU3571789A (en) * | 1988-05-20 | 1989-12-12 | Albion Instruments | Patient interfacing system and method to prevent water contamination |
| US5042501A (en) * | 1990-05-01 | 1991-08-27 | Battelle Memorial Institute | Apparatus and method for analysis of expired breath |
-
1993
- 1993-06-28 EP EP93110303A patent/EP0577053A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1993-06-29 CA CA 2099740 patent/CA2099740A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US10016149B2 (en) | 2012-04-24 | 2018-07-10 | Phc Corporation | Handle device and breath analysis device |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| EP0577053A1 (en) | 1994-01-05 |
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